Funds for firefighters

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sending more than one million dollars to Siskiyou County to help local fire departments recruit, train and retain volunteer firefighters as part of an effort to improve emergency response preparedness across the nation.

Comment

By John Bowman

Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA

By John Bowman

Posted Apr. 23, 2013 at 11:10 AM
Updated Apr 23, 2013 at 11:18 AM

By John Bowman

Posted Apr 23, 2013 at 11:10 AM
Updated Apr 23, 2013 at 11:18 AM

Siskiyou County

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sending more than one million dollars to Siskiyou County to help local fire departments recruit, train and retain volunteer firefighters as part of an effort to improve emergency response preparedness across the nation.

The money will be coming from FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. But a partnership between the Siskiyou County Fire Chiefs Association and FireWhat – a local fire information technology company – was responsible for Siskiyou County being selected for the grant.

The fire chiefs association worked with Dunsmuir-based FireWhat during the summer of 2012 to develop the successful SAFER grant application and the groups were recently notified that they would be receiving the $1.2 million grant to recruit, train and retain 28 new volunteer firefighters per year in Siskiyou County over the next four years.

FEMA says the goal of SAFER is to enhance the ability of local fire departments to comply with staffing, response, and operational standards set by the federal government. The grant is part of the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant program (AFG).

The AFG was created as part of the Patriot Act of 2001. The program was unlike any federal grant program at the time, in that funds were awarded directly to fire departments; grants to local fire departments were competitive; and fire chiefs were authorized to certify grant applications with no other local, county or state official’s signature.

The terms and amounts of the grant awards vary based on the specific needs of applicant fire departments and organizations across the nation. According to Sam Lanier of FireWhat, the grant is dedicated solely for the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters for Siskiyou County.

Lanier said the grant requirements stipulate that each recruited firefighter in Siskiyou County will receive a long-term disability and death benefit. One firefighter per department per year must be recruited for the next four years, totaling 112 firefighters over the four-year term. Medical physicals and training for the recruits, including Firefighter 1, Firefighter 2, and EMT certifications, will also be paid for by the grant funds, said Lanier.

In addition, the grant will fund an annual leadership development summit for the chief fire officers of Siskiyou County for the next four years. The grant will also cover all coordination, marketing and recruitment materials and expenses associated with the recruitment campaign.

While the Siskiyou County Fire Chiefs Association will be making the major decisions about implementing the funded project, they have contracted FireWhat to coordinate the grant. This will require FireWhat to maintain all grant records and handle all contracts with training facilities, insurance agents, media companies, etc. The fire chiefs association is the fiscal agent for all financial operations of the funded project.

Lanier said all funds will go directly to the Siskiyou County Fire Chiefs Association and they must approve all expenditures prior to disbursement. While many government grants require matching funds from applicants, SAFER is a “zero match” grant. This means all aspects of it are fully funded by the grant, creating no negative fiscal impact to the applicant or their state and local governments.

Page 2 of 2 - On the other hand, Lanier says the positive local impact of the grant will be significant. He says it will not only beef up local fire departments, but much of the $1.2 million will be spent right here in Siskiyou County to pay for training, insurance, materials and a long list of other services necessary to the project.

CAL FIRE Siskiyou Unit Chief Bernie Paul said, "This Recruiting grant is one of the most positive things that has happen to the volunteers in the fire service in a long time. This will give us a boost to reach out and get new volunteers, get them training and provide them with the required safety gear." Paul added, "This could not have come at a more needed time. Our volunteers are at an all-time low currently and we need more trained firefighters.”

Lanier, whose Dunsmuir company is becoming a national leader in online fire and emergency response information services, says FireWhat is “extremely excited to further its support of Siskiyou County fire services.” He adds, “Within the last year, FireWhat has worked hard to bring over $2 million in federal, state and local grant funding to area fire departments and continues to seek out grant funding to help our community become a safer and better equipped place to live.”